Machine for applying clips to springs or the like



2,537,817 MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLIPS T0 SPRINGS OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 20, 1948 Jam 9, 1951 c. c. EDWARDS 4 Sheets-Sheet l -QfiiiQ Fl 6. l.

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CHARLES C. EDWARDS ATTO R N EY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvw Nb 2. .E

m .Q 5 w s 3 m 2 C. C. EDWARDS MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLIPS TO SPRINGS OR THE LIKE Hm om E Jan. 9, 1951 Filed Dec. 20. 1948 NQ h MN mv T m mm NP Q grwem to a CHARLES C. EDWARDS ATTORNEYS mm $0 I D0 4 Sheets-Sheet S Jan. 9, 1951 c. c. EDWARDS MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLIPS TO SPRINGS on THE LIKE Filed Dec. 20. 1948 CHARLES C. EDWARDS Nm Q 6 l bN \J T5 m- B ow m \IQN NN mk 0 0% ow om 5. mo Pm mm m? kg m S 33 ill Q E m. illl 1Q ll- Ne v mm A IN ow a J ATTOR N EY Jan. 9, 1951 2,537,817

MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLIPS TO SPRINGS OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 20. 1948 C. C. EDWARDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 hw r mr @P &m on P Q.

CHARLES CEDWARDs ATTOR N EY Patented Jan. 9, 1951 MACHINE'FOR APPLYING CLIPS TO SPRINGS OR THE LIKE Charles 0.;Edwards, High Point, N. 0.

Application December 20, 1948, Serial No. 66,274

3 Claims. 1

My invention relates to -a machine for form- .ing :a clip and tor-applying the same .to wire elements.

An important object of the invention is to provide means for holding the wire-element :or elements against displacement when the machine is set into action andbefore the forming .is completed.

A further object of the invention isto provide a machineof the above-mentioned character which will clamp the wire element or elements to the strip for retaining theseparts in the correct relative position, and then form'the strip into the clip and apply the same tothe wire elements.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above-mentioned character which is automotive, reliable, and quick in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above-mentioned character which is relatively simple in construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the'course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, andin which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is a plan view of assembled wire elements and .completed clip,

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the machine, the operating member being shown in section,

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2,

Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5, looking downwardly,

Figure 7 is a similar viewon line 6-5 of Fig. 5, looking upwardly,

Figure 8 is a view similar to Fig. .6. with the formed clip and wire elements .inplace and showing ,a slight modification'of the invention! Figure 9 is vertical section taken on line 9-9of Fig. 8,

Figure 10 is a side elevation of the machine with the housing plate removed, parts in section, and showing the various elements the starting position,

Figure 11 is a-similar :view showing theopee atingmember. shifted to .theleftslightly, tolower thewire clamping jaws, slightlyraise the.flower.

forming die, sever the strip, and start the forming operation of the strip section,

Figure 12 is a similar view showing the operating member moved further to the left-to continue the raising of the lower forming die withraising the wire clamping jaws,

Figure 13 is a similar view showing the operating member shifted to its extreme position to the left for raising both the lower forming die and the wire clamping jaws to the uppermost position and completing the forming of the clip and clamping the same to the wires,

Figure 14 is an enlarged central vertical section through the dies, parts broken away, and,

Figure 15 is. a perspective view of the slide, parts broken away.

As more clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, the numeral 28 designates a horizontal table top which may be formed of sheet metal and rigidly supported table high. This table top has an opening 2! formed therein for receiving the vertical housing 2! of the machine. This housing includes a vertical die block 22. The die block 22 has a side plate 23 rigidly secured thereto by screws or the like. The housing 2| projects above the table top 20 and arranged beneath the table top are L-shaped brackets 23 secured to the table top 2!! by bolts 24 or the like and to the housing 2!" by screws 25. Horizontal bars 26 are arranged between the brackets 23 and are rigidly secured thereto and engage the edge of the housing 2| to take the thrust from the operating member. Any other suitablemeans may be employed to rigidly support the housing 2 I in place.

The block 22 is provided with a vertical recess 23' which extends from the inner web .28 to the outer web 29. At its lower end the vertical guide recess 2'! leads into a horizontal recess 30, and the lower or bottom walls of these recesses are in the same plane. The web 29 has an opening 3! and a horizontal opening 32 is provided in the web 28, leading into the horizontal recess 38 The block 22 has a vertical guide groove'33. formed in the bottom wall of the vertioalguide recess 2'! and leading into such..-recess. The re? movable plate 23 is provided upon its inner with a vertical guide groove 34in alignment with the vertical guide groove 33. The guide block:22 is provided near its top with a horizontal recess 35, to receive a shearing block 35 held .in place by screws 3?, passing through openings 38 which are larger than the screws and these screws are tappedinto the shearing block The shearing block v3.6 hasa reduced extension 39, passing above a stationary web formed integral with the block 22. A block 4| is rigidly secured to the block 22 by screws 42, tapped into the block 22. The block 4| has a screw threaded opening for receiving an adjusting screw 43 the inner end of which is arranged to bear against the end of the extension 39 and thus permit of accurate adjustment of the shearing block longitudinally, after which the shearing block is clamped in a selected adjusted position by means of the screws 31. The shearing block 35 is provided at its lower corner with a cutting edge 44', as shown. The extension 39 and web 48 hold the bottom face of the shearing block spaced from the bottom wall of the horizontal recess 35 forming a horizontal passage 45 which leads at one end into the vertical guide recess 21 and at its opposite end into a flat horizontal opening .6 formed between the top of the web 28 and the bottom of the web 48. The opening 4% and pas sage 45 receive a metal strip 4'! which is out into sections and the strip sections are formed to produce the clips.

The numeral 48 designates a vertical reciprocatory slide having spaced side flanges 6'8 operating within the vertical grooves 33 and 34 for forming a longitudinal guide passage or groove 58 between the flanges 69. The slide 48 is provided near its lower end with an opening 5!, having top and bottom end walls 52 and 53, preferably rounded, as shown. At its upper end the slide 48 has its side flanges 49 projecting above the same and these side flanges carry horizontal spaced wire engaging heads 54, integral therewith. Upon their lower edges these horizontal heads 54 have transverse substantially semi-cylindrical grooves 55 and 58, Fig. '7, the grooves 55 being formed to receive a straight wire, while the grooves 58 are formed to receive a curved wire. The horizontal heads 54 are arranged above the bottom wall of a transverse horizontal opening or notch 57 formed in the housing 2|. This opening or notch passes through the outer sides of the housing 2| and is in communication with the horizontal recess 35 and vertical recess 2? and grooves 33 and 34.

The block is provided near its top with a vertical recess 58 for receiving a stationary forming die 39 held in place by a screw 65. This forming die has a reduced jaw 8| at its lower end, and the lower face of this jaw is provided with recesses 62 which are substantially semi-cylindrical and form a downwardly tapered tooth 53 be tween them. The jaw 6| has vertical pins 65 formed integral therewith and these pins project down below the jaw 6| for a substantial distance and have lower beveled faces 53, converging upwardly, as shown.

, Mounted to reciprocate within the groove or passage 58 of the slide E8 is a lower forming ie 61, the upper end of which is horizontal. When the die 61 is in the lowermost position, its top end is slightly below the top of the web 2% and this web then forms a stop for the metal strip When the forming die 31 is moved upwardly, it lifts the metal strip :22 and forces it into engagement with the shearing corner or blade id whereby the strip is severed and the strip section ll formed, which is then carried upwardlyby the movable forming die 5?. This forming die is provided at its top with a main recess 88, to receive the jaw S! of the stationary forming die and has oppositely arranged vertical openings at to receive the pins 64. The bottom of the recess 38 is provided with substantially semi-cylindrical grooves 78 which are opposite the grooves 62 and form an upwardly tapered tooth between them. The lower forming die 61 is drawn downwardly by retractile coil springs 61 attached at their upper ends to screws 68 operating within elongated slots 69'. These screws are tapped into the die 61. The lower ends of the springs 61' are secured to stationary screws 18', as shown. It is thus seen that these springs move the die 6'! downwardly.

The numeral 12 designates a horizontal reciprocatory operating member having a rear upper portion 13, and a reduced forward power portion 14. The forward and rear portions are connected by an intermediate portion 15. The portion 14 is horizontal and is guided within the transverse opening 32 and is disposed within the horizontal recess 38. The operating element extends through the opening 5| and through the opening 3| as shown. Formed integral with the forward horizontal portion 14 at its top edge is a vertical cam 16 having an inclined face 11 and a horizontal high part 18. At the rear of this cam 16 is a horizontal low part 19, which leads to a vertically inclined face 88, as shown. The lower end of the movable forming die 61 is provided with an inclined face 8|, parallel with the inclined face 88, and slightly spaced therefrom, when the extreme lower end 82 of the forming die rests upon the horizontal part 19. Adjacent to the point 82, the forming die 61 has a recess 83 so that the die 61 Will clear the inclined face 11 of the cam '16. The cam 16 is adapted to engage the upper curved wall 52 of the opening 5| while the lower curved wall 53 is adapted to be engaged by a depending cam 84, having a curved face leading to an inclined face 85 to engage a stationary inclined face 85 when the operating member 12 is in the extreme position to the right. A fixed guide block 8'! may be provided supporting the lower horizontal face 88 of the operating member I2. The forward movement of the member 12 is limited by the cam 16 contacting with the end wall of the recess 38, while its rearward movement is limited by the inclined face 85 contacting with the inclined face 86.

Any suitable means may be employed to reciprocate the operating member 12 and for the purpose of illustration I have shown a reciprocatory rod 89 pivotally connected therewith, and this rod extends into a horizontal cylinder 98 and. is connected with a plunger 9! therein. The cylinder is suitably supported by a bracket 92 or the like. Any suitable means may be employed to introduce and exhaust fluid pressure into and from the opposite ends of the cylinder to cause the plunger 9| to move in opposite directions.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The wire 93 may be a part of a wire frame and the wire 94 the lowermost turn of a coil spring, the frame and spring being included in the conventional spring assembly of upholstered furniture or the like. With the parts of the machine in the starting position, Figure 10, the metal strip 41 has been fed forwardly and its leading end contacts with the web' 21 and the metal strip passes over the lower die 61. The operating member 12 is now shifted to the left and may assume the position shown in Figure 1 1. As the cam 84 is brought into engagement with the round face 53, cam 16 moves from face 52, and slide 48 is moved downwardly slightly and this moves the jaws 54 downwardly in close relation to the wires 93 and 94, so that these wires cannot be removed from beneath the heads 54. The wires and strip are therefore retained in assembled position. Shortly after this the jaw 54 are brought into engagement with the wires 93 and 84, the inclined face 80 engages the inclined face BI and raises the forming die 6'! slightly with relation to the jaws and the cutting edge 44, with the result that the strip 41 is severed and a strip section 41' is provided, Figure 11, and the wires are clamped to the strip at about the time the severing occurs. The die 6'! moves upwardly between the jaws 54 while the jaws are moving downwardly and when the jaws are in the lowermost position. Since the die 6'! has moved upwardly slightly between the jaws 54, and the jaws 54 are holding the wires down against upward movement, the startin of the forming operation has taken place and the strip 41' is slightly formed, Figure 11. The operating member 12 has now moved to the next position, as shown in Figure 12, and the cam 8t is travelling off of the face 53 while the forming die 67 has moved up further with respect to the wires 93 and 94, which are still being held down by the jaws 54, with the result that the metal strip section 4'! is formed into a substantially U-shape, with its free ends well within the beveled faces 68, as shown in Figure 12. The inclined face 80 is now contacting with the inclined face 8|. The further movement of the member 12 to the left causes the inclined face 80 to raise the forming die 6! and to contact with the face 52 and also raise the slide and jaws 54 whereby the forming die 6'! and jaws move upwardly as a unit, as indicated in Figure 13. When this is accomplished, the jaw 61 of the stationary die is received within the recess 68 of the movable die and the forming of the clip is completed. This clip comprises eyes 48' to receive the wires. The teeth 63 and H function to complete the forming of the eyes. The clip is therefore completed and clamped to the wires 93 and 94. When the operating member 12 is shifted to the right, the inclined face 85 contacts with the face 53 and draws the slide 48 to the lowermost position. The springs 61 move the die 61 downwardly so that the inclined face 8| follows the face 89. When the member 12 is shifted to the extreme position to the right, point 82 passes upon the horizontal face 19 and the cam 15 will then raise the slide 48 and the jaws 54 to the intermediate raised position, and the die 61 now is in the lowermost position. The completed clip applied to the wires will now be separated from the machine. The operation may now be repeated.

Wh le I have shown the machine as employed in applying clips to a straight wire and a curved wire, I contemplate connecting straight wires, such as the ends of a wire frame. This is shown in Figures 8 and 9. In order that the formed clip may not slip longitudinally upon the straight frame wires, I provide the die 61 Within each groove with a forming pin 95 and the die 59 within each groove 62 with a depression 95, with the result that the contactingsurfaces of the wires and clip are bent to provide interlocking portions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A machine for forming and applying a clip to wires arranged in close relation, comprising a support, a reciprocatory slide mounted upon the support to move longitudinally and having a transverse opening, a reciprocatory forming die mounted upon the support adjacent to the slide Number and having one end thereof disposed adjacent to the opening and having an inclined face, the die being provided with a forming recess near its opposite end, spaced wire engaging jaws arranged near the forming recess and carried by the slide, a stationary die mounted upon the support and having a jaw disposed opposite to the recess, and a reciprocatory operating member arranged transversely of the slide and extending through the opening and provided with oppositely extending cams to engage the opposite end walls of the opening, the cams being staggered, the operating member also having an inclined face to engage the inclined face of the reciprocatory die and the adjacent end Wall of the opening of the slide.

2. A machine for forming and applying a clip to wires arranged in close relation, comprising a support, a reciprocatory slide mounted upon the support and having spaced oppositely arranged faces, a reciprocatory forming die mounted upon the support and having one end arranged near one face, the die being provided with a forming recess, a wire engaging jaw arranged near the forming recess and carried by the slide, a coacting die mounted upon the support and having a jaw disposed opposite the recess, and a reciprocatory operating member arranged transversely of the slide and provided with oppositely extending cams, one cam being arranged to engage with one face and the other cam being arranged to engage with the other face, the cams being staggered, the operating member also having an inclined face to engage with the reciprocatory die and the adjacent face.

3. A machine for forming and applying a clip to wires arranged in close relation, comprising an upstanding support provided with a notch and having an upstanding guide passage and a generally horizontal passage for receiving a metal strip, the two passages leading to the notch, a blade arranged adjacent to the notch, a reciprocatory slide mounted in the upstanding passage and having spaced upper and lower faces, a reciprocatory forming die mounted within the upstanding passage and having one end thereof arranged near the upper face, the die being provided near its upper end with a forming recess disposed near the notch, a wire engaging jaw carried by the slide and arranged near the notch, a coacting die mounted upon the upper end of the support and having a jaw disposed opposite the recess, and a reciprocatory member arranged transversely of the slide and provided with an upstanding cam and a depending cam, the upstanding cam being arranged to engage the upper face and the depending cam being arranged to engage the lower face, the cams being staggered, the operating member also having an inclined face to engage the lower end of the reciprocatory die and the upper face.

CHARLES C. EDWARDS REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 308,087 McDonald Nov. 18; 1884 373,865 Thurston Nov. 29, 1887 741,315 Dennis Oct. 13, 1903 1,858,418 Rowley May 17, 1932 2,099,624 Robarge Nov. 16, 1937 

